Vigils held in S.A. to pray for Newtown

Patricia Doria holds a paper heart that people have been signing that’s to be sent to Newtown, Conn.

Photo By JENNIFER WHITNEY/Express-News

Patricia Doria and several other people have been gathering each night to hold a vigil and pray for the 20 child victims shot in Newtown, Connecticut at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in San Antonio, December 21, 2012.

Patricia Doria of San Antonio turned to prayer — and then Facebook — to show her compassion for victims of the Newtown, Conn., shootings.

“My heart went out to the victims and their families,” Doria said.

When tragedy struck Dec. 14, Doria used Facebook to draw friends to a prayer vigil the next day at the Oblate School of Theology's outdoor grotto.

She resolved to conduct 20 daily vigils to call attention to the 20 children who perished in the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, along with six adults.

“There are 20 little angels that have gone to heaven now,” she said.

Friday's observance, which drew one other regular participant, was the seventh at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. Doria, a Catholic, is convinced the vigils accomplish her goals of supporting those directly impacted and comforting others here and around the globe who feel anguish over the loss of life.

“There's nothing more powerful than prayer. ... You can heal through prayer. It gives you that peace, that acceptance, to be able to move on,” Doria said.

She said she's been praying “to let the people of Connecticut know they are not alone — that we have embraced their sorrow and their losses.”

The brief, informal gatherings that initially attracted a dozen of Doria's family and friends include prayer and meditation in the grotto, which is brightened by dozens of votive candles. Start times for the vigils have varied, depending on availability of the grotto. The last vigil on Jan. 3 may involve clergy in a more elaborate observance, she said.

The show of compassion won't end there. Vigil participants have been signing their names to cards that will be sent to victim's families along with donated rosaries.